The Sleepbox unit at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport contains two beds and can be rented for between 30 minutes and several hours.

The pod is equipped with LED reading lamps as well as sockets for charging laptops and mobile phones.

This booth is constructed from ash-veneered MDF, although future units could instead be made from metal or glass-reinforced plastic.

The Sleepbox concept was the most popular story on Dezeen back in November 2009 and received over 100 comments - see our earlier story here.

Photography is by Arch Group/Ivanov Ilya.

Here's some more information from Arch Group:

Sleepbox

Imagine the situation where you are in a modern city, you are not a local resident, and you have not booked a hotel. It is not a comfortable situation because modern aggressive cities give you no opportunity to rest and relax. If you want to sleep while waiting for your plane or train, you face many security and hygiene problems.

We believe that urban infrastructure should be more comfortable. For this purpose we have developed Sleepbox. It provides moments of quiet sleep and rest without wasting time in search for a hotel.

Possible locations for Sleepbox include:

Railroad stations

Airports

Exhibition centers

Public and shopping centers

Accommodation facilities

In countries with a warm climate, Sleepbox can be used outdoors.

Sleepbox allows everybody in unforeseen circumstances to spend a night safely and inexpensively or simply to kill a few hours without leaving the luggage.

Sleepbox is a small mobile compartment (box) with a 2.5x1.6m base and 2.5-3m height. One of its main advantages is its ability to be installed in the airport “clean” zone, just in front of the gates. This is precisely the area where travelers have to spend hours waiting for their delayed flights or transfer.

Currently we offer one-, two-, or three-bed Sleepboxes, which can be made of MDF (wood), metal, and glass-reinforced plastic. Sleepbox allows from 30 min to several hours of paid use. The price varies depending on the number of hours in use: the more the user pays for, the less it costs per hour.

Sleepbox base features include ventilation and sockets for notebook and mobile phone chargers. Space for luggage is under the bed, and each bed has a nightstand. In addition to general lighting, Sleepbox has built-un LED reading lamps. Windows are equipped with electric-drive blinds for privacy.

Sleepbox's main function is to afford a restful sleep. However, depending on location, it can be equipped with additional features.

Available options include:

Matted film on windows with changing transparency

Mood lighting - LED lamps with changing light colors

Built-in media block (TV, touch-screen monitor)

Wi-Fi router

Alarm, intercom

Safe deposit box

Built-in payment station with magnetic keys

In mid-August 2011, the first Sleepbox was installed at the Aeroexpress terminal of Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Russia. It represents the base version made of MDF with a natural ash-tree veneer. This Sleepbox attracted such a great deal of interest from passengers and big companies that chances are first commercially operated boxes will be installed at airports and in the city by the end of this year.

The box looks good and practical, reminds of so called SV compartmet. But placed in Funny russian setting, does not fit. With so much ugly around, it looks even better.

Oz

Possible locations for Sleepbox include:

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+ ARCHITECTURE SCHOOLS

+ ARCHITECTURE OFFICES

michelalano

nice execution of a great (and much needed) concept. I question why they went with the exposed fluorescent bulbs inside. Seems a little harsh and sterile, like you're sleeping inside someone's kitchen cabinets.

Guy

I agree with your cabinet comment. Of all the fittings that could be used in a place to relax and sleep, they chose bright, -fluoescent tubes??? Some how devalues the concept…

asolitarywave

without wanting to be too cynical, won't this quickly become a shag box?
and I'm guessing this will need to be serviced after each user… quite labour heavy, but if you have a whole load it could make sense…

fiat186v2

What happen to the automated sheet changing mechanism ? I think I saw those in the earlier post a while back.

http://www.arch-group.com Arch group

Yes, we had that idea of sheet changing mechanism, but we leave it for future. Today the main task is to make Sleepbox affordable. And thank you for kind words to our project

joris

indeed, the lighting scheme needs some rethinking. Not a new idea though, I saw some more extreme japanese sleeping vaults long time ago, almost like a morgue body storage box. Also: check out Bruce Willis's apartment in The Fifth Element by Luc Besson.

t_s_s

i wanted to give you a like for the Fifth Element reference, but accidently gave you a dislike! so sorry.

oh please

this is the dumbest idea i ever saw, looks like a prop for cheap scifi movie, "modern cities" have abundance of hotels, and nobody travels without making a reservation, wooden dark interior resembles russian suna in the sibiran outback, also no shower and bathroom makes it useless, after i have a shower and take a shit i can sleep anywhere at the airport

Lee

After having been stuck in an international airport for 12 hours, on my own, with 2 small children – when it was just supposed to be a transfer of flights…..this is a brilliant idea. Things happen….I didn't make reservations because I was only supposed to be there half an hour! Didn't have a visa which would have enabled me to leave the airport to find a hotel – and had no idea how long the delay was going to be anyway!….. I think it is a brilliant idea for airports to have them available in situations like that!

Having worked in disaster management – they are a great idea for evacuation situations………even if they are just provided for nursing mothers and very small children to sleep away from all the noise involved in an evacuation centre.

mik

I think this all sound suspisious.
It looks like a sex box.
Are we so mazy that we need to sleep in airports?

guest

Cheapbox 01

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001333674595 Михаил Крымов

Yes, we had that idea of sheet changing mechanism, but we leave it for future. Today the main task is to make Sleepbox affordable. And thank you for kind words to our project

MissMercurial

Dorm-in-a-box!

asolitarywave: I think the windows would be a deterrent for (most) people in the case of whether or not these would become "shag boxes;" the screens do not seem to be completely opaque.
I was thinking the same thing about the issue of cleanliness (particulalry in the possible event that these function more as "shag boxes").

John

this would be the only thing in Sheremetyevo that has english on it…. and if it's anything like the rest of the airport it will be perpetually closed and/or manned by rude disinterested staff who only accept rubles.

Buggsy

Bedbug exchange portal.

Yuli

nice idea but i dont think its will work in russia…(live there)
and i defiantly agree about lighting, its seem not good

terry

Much needed. Great.

The negative comments are obviously from people who never needed this.

The last 6 hour interchange I had there was nowhere comfortable to sleep at the airport, and I had to work the next day. So I had to take a twenty minute bus ride to the nearest cheap hotel, check in to a room of unnecessary size, sleep for a few minutes, check out, bus back to the airport, check back in through security… what a waste of time – and the result was a tiny amount of sleep for a lot of hassle.

I'm amazed that capsule hotels already don't exist!

Thanks (to the airport?) – and nice work.

Oliver

They do exist – Yotel

ept

How does it compare in cost to a hotel room I wonder?

ept

It would work if you were waiting around for a delayed flight – – it doesn't make sense to go travel and sleep in a hotel room for short amounts of time.

http://www.vimarch.com LOW

I never thought these would actually be built… I'm glad they've gone through with it! Now if we could've only had a couple of those lined-up while I was in Arch. School…

Cassandra

Without the sheet changing roll (as seen in the last Sleepbox post) it is unclear how they are changed in the current project. Is there a staff? That would make sense if there are several pods in one location.

edward

Might present same problem as the storage compartments that were a regular feature of train/bus stations in pre-terrorist days. Not to belittle the great design work here, no criticism of that at all. Since flight delays of extended nature are a regular feature of today, some means of accommodating stranded travelers should be design requirement in airport construction. Retrofiring is a problem.

Steve

I see the possibility of a Lot of problems. Cleanliness, bedbug, safety, and gross from them being shag boxes.. However..
I would have loved to have something like this a few times. and because of health problems the lack of a place to sleep limits my travel now.
Add a bathroom and these things would be heaven on a long trip.
AS long as they are kept clean.

MIKE

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!! EVERY ONE WHO WALKS BY WILL BANG ON THE OUT SIDE AND WAKE YOU UP EVERY MINUTE…A STUPID IDEA…
BED BUG HEAVEN !!!!!!!!!!!! IT WILL COST MORE MONEY TO CLEAN THAN YOU BRING IN FOR RENT……..

woody

don't know.. i'd like to believe we're more civilized then that :)

http://www.tovdesign.com tom de vrieze

reminds me of the cubist module of Valerie Dhaeze
as she described : '
A product designed by Valérie Dhaeze to meet the needs of the ‘pop-up economy’. If new products can come and go, why can't the stores and events do the same. The Cubist Module is a foldable container that can be transformed into a 2.8 by 2.2 meter room in a quick five minutes. Ideal as a temporary shelter for overcrowded areas like airports, it can be handy in all sorts of places where a bit of ‘quick-n-easy’ peace and quiet would be welcome.

I would definitely pay for this sort of thing -$20 an hour.
It should be made entirely of a molded composite, no cracks, crevices or soft goods. After each use, the room would have a sterilizing blast of steam, like an autoclave, to clean and disinfect all surfaces. No chemical residues. Bedrolls could be rented, like sheets in a hostel if a person wanted soft goods. I usually just need a place to nap for 1-2 hours privately, i rest my head on my duffel bag & keep my clothes on. A hotel is overkill for many traveling situations, this is an elegant solution. Airports have so much empty space in the corridors, as do many American railway stations. There should be a tiny toilet and sink, as in a train compartment. Designing for wheelchair accessability would add value as well.

Grandmotherbear

You up the price a little and include a little package of 2 non woven cellulose type sheets or paper towel type covers-one to go over the mattress, one to go over the traveller. Blankets and pillows are on your own-it’s why I travel with stuff packed in a man’s shaving kit- makes a great pillow when you need one. Disinfectant-UV bulb kills viruses and bacteria, don’t know about bedbugs.

Grandmotherbear

Bed bug problem- a vending machine with with 1-2 shot dispensers of Febreeze flea & bedbug spray would enable those who wish to cover all sanitary bases to do so

sim

I think its a good use of redundent space in airports… of which theres alot!! Lets hope the acoustics are good!

Greg

Does the hooker come with it or should you bring your own?

ept

please tell me that railing pulls out of the top bunk..imagine being jet-lagged and sound asleep, you roll over and you are on the floor.

mastercrafthcp

Those have window shades or drapes? I sure hope so!

MUK

Did you actually read the article? Electric blinds!

http://www.thebrandingspot.com NDR

I have been stuck in some airports and train stations and bus stations while traveling and it would have meant the world to me to just be horizontal. Cool concept! Hope it does well and you offer it soon in the states!

Michal

Great idea and very well done. I hope I will spot these travelling. And I wouldn’t mind my company buy one.

SamDS

Would be good for businesses if the workers need to stay overnight/late/sleep during the day. Although, saying it that way makes it sound like nap time for workers.

thedoctor102

Interesting design but uses a lot of vertical space, there is a British company called Podtime who offer a more space efficient solution which is much cheaper, these things seem to be coming into effect.

http://www.rjcjh.co.uk rjc

Bering in mind you can normally get a perfectly adequate hotel room in airports from around £29 a night, or sometimes less from the likes of 'Prem. Inn'… i cant help but wonder how this can make profit… Plus how often and who cleans.

That said, Its a great idea and I love it!

http://bfarkas.blob.sk/ barb

I think this is a great idea and the lights are perfect because if you need to work with your laptop it is enough light there and if you do not want light you can turn them off and also keep your privacy with rolling down the blinds.
people can do what they want inside it is their own business. But I also see a problem in between the cleaning and the price. when someone rents it just for 30minutes then you have to change the blankets and in next 30minutes another person wants to rent it…so this will cost a lot of money and effort. it would be only cheep in countries like slovakia for example where I am from because the price of services are very low here..next question is the problem of the isolation of noise from the airport, if this is mastered well I see no problem this is just a great idea and I love the design of the sleepbox its minimalistic and it is functional..

http://suchfuntogive.blogspot.com Gale

I’m thinking they could do something where you check out a fresh set of sheets and change the sheets yourself, then deposit your sheets in a bin right outside the box or something after you’re done.

http://scribbleprints.blogspot.com Gale

I love this idea. Here’s some other places it would be great.

Universities: How many times I wished I could find a place to catch a nap between classes.

Hospitals: Loved ones could catch sleep while waiting for news. Doctors and nurses could have a better place to rest between shifts.

ACG

You know where this idea would be perfect? On a campus. You wouldn’t even need anything as big and fancy as the ones shown here. Just a place to lie down, feel safe, take a quick nap, and charge your stuff without having to worry about anything getting stolen. So much better than a random couch in the student union or a chair in the library. I would LOVE having these on my campus! Especially since I commute and can’t easily go to a dorm. A lot of students on my campus commute. I think nap boxes would be wildly popular.

Logic

So do the folks that are afraid of bedbugs ever sit anywhere in the airport or on the airplanes? I’m pretty sure they don’t clean those surfaces each time a person vacates them.